He is also the first manager to take four teams beyond the first round – all but China – earning the nickname of Miracle Worker,[1] first given to him by Alan Rothenberg, then president of the United States Soccer Federation.

[3] Hank Steinbrecher, general secretary of the U.S. Soccer Federation, conducted the job interviews for the U.S. national team head coach position.

American coaches had not proved their worth on the international stage, as the United States had lost all three games in the 1990 World Cup finals under Bob Gansler.

When the USSF's search began in 1991, the emphasis was not so much on experience, but on finding a coach who could squeeze the last drop of potential out of a lightly regarded team, and Milutinović's name came up again and again.

[6] Nigeria won its group, notching a notable 3–2 upset win over Spain, and reached the knockout rounds.

[8] However, unlike his previous forays, Milutinović could not take the Chinese team past the first round due to their inexperience at the world stage.

Despite heavy, month-long persuasion from Serbian football officials, Milutinović turned down the offer and soon signed on to the Honduras national team.

He cited "the prevailing bad atmosphere, created by comments made by the country's managers, officials and press" as the reason for his leaving during World Cup qualifying.

Milutinović led the Iraq national football team in group play in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup for two draws and one loss, failing to reach the knockout stage.